Health and Medical News Headlines for December 23, 2008

Zimbabwe's cholera toll up to 1,174: UN (AFP)

AFP - The toll from Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic rose again Tuesday with 1,174 people now known to have died from the disease since August, the United Nations children's fund UNICEF said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:44 pm

Too sick to work? Need health care? Take a number (AP)

AP - Master toolmaker John McClain built machine parts with details so small they couldn't be seen with the naked eye. Then a lump on his neck turned out to be cancer.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:28 pm

Misery makers

Colds and flu viruses remain mysterious
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:23 pm

The Price of Beauty: Some Hidden Choices in Breast Reconstruction

Many patients do not consider all the options because their doctors are not proficient in the latest procedures.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:22 pm

Vital Signs: Safety: Device Disables a Driver’s Cellphone

A device designed to prevent cellphone use while driving may lower the rate of traffic accidents, but will it be popular among teens?

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:08 pm

British woman to deliver baby screened for breast cancer (AFP)

AFP - A woman is to give birth this week to the first baby in Britain which has been selected to be free of a gene which greatly increases the risk of breast cancer, experts said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:02 pm

Clinical Trials Update: Dec. 23, 2008 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:02 pm

Study Shows Exercise Shields Against Osteoporosis (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Doing weight-bearing exercise during adolescence may help women maintain their bone strength in old age, a new study says.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:02 pm

Flu 'heading for nine-year high'

The number of flu cases in England and Wales is heading for a nine-year high, figures suggest.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:00 pm

Cases: From a Place of Fire and Weeping, Lessons on Memory, Aging and Hope

The lessons learned by a geriatric psychiatrist from his Holocaust-survivor patients.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 5:00 pm

Basics: A Highly Evolved Propensity for Deceit

Apparently, humans are not alone in their deceitful ways.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 4:53 pm

Personal Health: Weight-Loss Guides Without Gimmicks

The best weight-loss books to help you keep this year's resolution.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 4:34 pm

Health Systems Solutions, Inc. Notifies Emageon of its Desire to Close the Merger

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:59 pm

UPDATE 1-Grey Wolf shareholders approve Precision deal

(Adds comments and details. In U.S. dollars unless noted.)
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:56 pm

Pennsylvania Department of Health Encourages Smokers to Put Quitting at Top of Resolution List

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:40 pm

ETHEX Corporation Initiated Nationwide Voluntary Recall of a Single Lot of Hydromorphone HCl 2 mg Tablets Due to Potential for Oversized Tablet

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:38 pm

Morning Rounds: Dangerous Diets, Blood Shortage and the Price of Shopping

Health news from around the Web.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:36 pm

KV Pharmaceutical Voluntarily Suspends All Shipments of Its Approved Tablet-Form Drugs

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:36 pm

'Serious' clowns distract patients from their pain

Oooooooshie the clown knows the instant effect he has on patients.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:35 pm

Symmetrix Pharmaceuticals Announces the Appointment of Ronald J. Shebuski, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Officer

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:35 pm

WRAPUP 1-Ukrainian workers march as recession bites

KIEV, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Thousands of trade unionists marched through the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday to warn the government against any cuts in jobs and benefits in a country struggling to cope with...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:30 pm

Grey Wolf shareholders approve Precision deal

HOUSTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Shareholders of U.S. oil drilling company Grey Wolf Inc voted on Tuesday to approve a cash and stock takeover by Canada's Precision Drilling Trust .
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:23 pm

Lupus affects the brain very early in the disease

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results of a brain imaging study suggest that the brain may be affected very early in the course of lupus, even before the disease is diagnosed.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:20 pm

Caffeine Works Better for Men

Caffeine affects men more strongly than women, and while decaf coffee perks up both the sexes, it works better on women.
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:13 pm

Life-Changing Resolutions A Year-Round Endeavor

Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsHealth | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:12 pm

A Conversation With Mahmoud A. Elsohly: Growing Marijuana With Government Money

How do you become the man who grows all of the marijuana for government-funded studies?

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:07 pm

Removal Of Pelvic Lymph Nodes Or Radiotherapy Cannot Be Recommended As Routine Treatments In Women With Early Endometrial Cancer (ASTEC Study)

Two Articles published Online first and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet show that two common adjuvant treatments for women with early endometrial cancer - removing the pelvic lymph nodes or external beam radiotherapy - should not be part of routine care.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 3:00 pm

Vital Statistics: Cancer on the Rise

Cancer rates have increased worldwide, according to a report published this month by the World Health Organization.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:57 pm

Why Some of Us Hate to Cry

Most of us like to cry, but a new study reveals why it doesn't benefit all of us.
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:44 pm

In Advanced Ovarian Cancer, Chemotherapy Before Surgical Debulking Is Preferable

Chemotherapy before surgical debulking for advanced ovarian cancer has been shown to have similar efficacy and improved safety compared with chemotherapy after surgery.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:43 pm

AES 2008: AES Elects International Epilepsy Expert as New President

An internationally recognized expert in epilepsy treatment has been elected president of the American Epilepsy Society.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:16 pm

Scientists No Closer to Curing Hangovers

Hangover cures vary worldwide, from tripe soup in Mexico, vitamin concoctions in America, and pickle juice in Poland, connected by one fact: They don't really work.
Source: Livescience.com - Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:13 pm

Salt Lake City Is Best City For Women, Madison Is Best City For Men - USA

The editors of Men's Health and Women's Health magazines reveal the first-ever ranking of America's Best & Worst Cities for Women and the eighth annual ranking of America's Best & Worst Cities for Men. The lists appear in the January/February editions of both magazines, hitting newsstands on Tuesday, December 23.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:00 pm

Californian Files Consumer Fraud Class Action Against Advanced Medical Optics For Falsely Advertising Contact Lens Solution

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, and Moscone, Emblidge & Quadra announced that Southern California-based Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. ("AMO") was named as the defendant in a consumer fraud and false advertising class action lawsuit. The case, Maria Ruiz v. Advanced Medical Optics, et al., was filed today in California State Superior Court in Orange County.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:00 pm

Psychological Symptoms Decrease Long-Term Quality of Life After Stroke

Depression, anxiety, and fatigue strongly predict decreased quality of life in individuals who survive aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, a new study reports.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 23 Dec 2008 | 1:33 pm

Inside Zimbabwe's Cholera Epidemic

I am feeling a little uncomfortable," says the middle-aged man lying in the dirt behind the main hospital in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe. His name is Henry. He is so dehydrated his cheeks look collapsed and his eyes protrude from his closely cropped skull.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 1:00 pm

High HPV Vaccination Coverage Already Achieved In England

More than 70 per cent of 12-13 year old girls have already had their first HPV (human papillomavirus) jab since the vaccination campaign started in September, Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo announced today. This figure will rise as more results come in.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 12:00 pm

Records Of Sick Children During Victorian And Edwardian England Revealed

Historians from Kingston University have teamed up with Great Ormond Street Hospital to reveal the medical records of sick children cared for during Victorian and Edwardian times.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 12:00 pm

A cup of coffee has a bigger impact on men

A strong cup of coffee has a greater effect on men than women, research shows.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 23 Dec 2008 | 11:54 am

State Budget Cuts Jeopardize America's Health, Says The Association Of State And Territorial Health Officials

Shrinking state health department budgets, brought on by the current economic downturn, are forcing cuts in critical public health programs and reductions in workforce that will have wide ranging effects. This is according to a recent survey of state and territorial health agencies, conducted by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 11:00 am

Pennsylvania Law To End Mandatory Overtime For Some Health Care Workers

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) on Thursday signed into law a bill that will prohibit health care facilities from requiring mandatory overtime of staff, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 11:00 am

President Bush To Provide Two Automakers With $17.4B In Loans, Require Concessions On Benefits, VEBA Payments

President Bush on Friday announced an agreement to provide $17.4 billion in short-term loans to automakers General Motors and Chrysler that includes a number of requirements for the companies and the United Auto Workers, the Washington Post reports (Whoriskey, Washington Post, 12/20).
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 11:00 am

Elsevier To Investigate Medical Journal Articles Allegedly Ghostwritten By Wyeth

Elsevier officials on Friday announced plans to investigate recent allegations by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that one of the medical journals published by the company included an article improperly ghostwritten by Wyeth to promote the hormone replacement therapy Prempro, the New York Times reports.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today | 23 Dec 2008 | 11:00 am

Scientist: Stem cells could end animal testing

As well as their potential for creating effective therapies for debilitating diseases, embryonic stem cells could open the door to more effective pharmaceutical drug testing, according to a leading British stem cell researcher.

Source: CNN.com - Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 8:24 am

At House Party on Health Care, the Diagnosis Is It’s Broken

More than 4,200 events are being held around the country at the behest of the president-elect, as part of an experiment in grass-roots politics and policy-making.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 7:40 am

Morning Rounds: Medicaid Strains, a Failed Flu Remedy and a Condom Ban Under Fire

Health news from around the Web.

Source: NYT > Health | 23 Dec 2008 | 7:18 am

Even a Little Overweight, Inactivity Hurts the Heart (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Even a few extra pounds and just a little inactivity increased the risk of heart failure in a major study of American doctors.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 23 Dec 2008 | 4:47 am

Salty surprise

The unhealthy truth about festive fodder
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 23 Dec 2008 | 4:41 am

Avoiding the painkiller-overuse rut in migraines (AP)

AP - Those pain pills you think help your migraines? Take too many and you could make them worse. Overusing painkillers can spin migraine patients into a rut, spurring more headaches that in turn require more pain medication. A very unlucky fraction even get what's called chronic migraine, where they're in pain more days than not, and new research suggests certain prescription painkillers, including narcotics, increase that risk.

Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 23 Dec 2008 | 2:21 am

Wealth gap in child critical care

Children from the most deprived homes are more likely to need intensive care than their wealthier counterparts, say researchers.
Source: BBC News | Health | World Edition | 23 Dec 2008 | 12:41 am

FDA warns against some diet pills sold on the Web (AP)

AP - If you're looking for a little help shedding extra pounds after the holidays, the government is warning you to stay away from nearly 30 weight-loss products that contain unlisted and possibly dangerous ingredients.
Source: Yahoo! News: Health News | 22 Dec 2008 | 11:52 pm

Serial Prostate Cancer Screening Findings Reviewed

A large study of serial prostate cancer screening shows findings similar to those of other multi-round screening studies; effects of screening on prostate cancer mortality rates await more follow-up.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Dec 2008 | 11:12 pm

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Management Reviewed

The American College of Gastroenterology Irritable Bowel Syndrome Task Force developed a monograph reviewing the epidemiology, diagnostic approach, and treatments of this condition.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Dec 2008 | 11:06 pm

Doubt Cast on Reliability of Tissue-Doppler Imaging for Intracardiac Pressure Estimation

It may not be reliable in some of the patient subgroups for which noninvasive pressure estimates would be the most useful, according to researchers.
Heartwire
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Dec 2008 | 10:54 pm

Susceptibility to PTSD, Anxiety, Depression Hereditary

The genetic makeup of some individuals makes them substantially more vulnerable than others to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, new research suggests.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Dec 2008 | 10:13 pm

Multiple Courses of Antenatal Steroids Not Recommended for Preterm Birth

A study shows that multiple courses of antenatal steroids every 14 days do not improve preterm birth outcomes and are linked to decreased weight, length, and head circumference.
Medscape Medical News
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines | 22 Dec 2008 | 10:00 pm

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